Women urged to be radically involved with missions

For national Woman’s Missionary Union President Janet
Hoffman, the challenge confronting the Southern Baptist organization is clear.

 

“As long as there are persons on this shrinking globe
who have never heard the name of Jesus, much less experienced his love; as long
as there are local churches needing resources to educate and lead members to
be on mission with God

For national Woman’s Missionary Union President Janet
Hoffman, the challenge confronting the Southern Baptist organization is clear.

 

“As long as there are persons on this shrinking globe
who have never heard the name of Jesus, much less experienced his love; as long
as there are local churches needing resources to educate and lead members to
be on mission with God; as along as there are missionaries depending on our
prayerful and monetary support; as long as there are children and youth to train
to be the next generation of missionaries and missions supporters; and as long
as the Great Commission remains an imperative, WMU must continue to ‘challenge
Christian believers to understand and be radically involved in the mission of
God,’” Hoffman recently reminded national and state Woman’s Missionary
Union leaders.

 

Hoffman joined national WMU Executive Director Wanda Lee in
calling leaders gathered for their national board meeting last month to recapture
a vision for the organization’s purpose. Hoffman is a member at First Baptist
Church of Farmerville.

 

Renewed vision, revitalized faith, re-energized enthusiasm
and rejuvenated love for one another are necessary ingredients for the future
of Woman’s Missionary Union, Hoffman said. The catalyst for these ingredients
is prayer, she emphasized.

 

“Our task is impossible through human effort, strategizing
or sacrifice,” Hoffman said. “It is possible only in complete dependence
on God. So, I challenge all of us today to rediscover the intimacy and the fervency
and the joy of praying as God’s power is released through prayer.”

 

During her address, Lee told the 250 women from across the
United States, Canada and Puerto Rico about a “dream” she had about
the group’s 2010 meeting.

 

She said she dreamed of a gathering that was joyful and spirit
filled.

 

“We apparently came to the realization at the turn of
the century that God was not finished with WMU,” she said. “His call
to rise up and accept the challenge of the new century was a reminder of his
call from the day of our birth. We accepted his call, and we had been faithfully
moving forward.”

 

Lee also called on the gathered leaders to “reason together
… (and) see where the Lord would have us go.

 

“We began 114 years ago as a result of women reasoning
together to follow God’s call to stir up the missionary spirit,” Lee
continued. “His call continues today as we seek his direction for the challenges
of a new generation that needs to have the missionary spirit stirred up once
again.”

 

In addition to hearing Hoffman and Lee, the WMU leaders also:

 

• Awarded $91,264 in grants and scholarships. The
$79,675 in grants from the Second Century Fund went to nine international projects,
12 state Woman’s Missionary Union efforts and the 2003 MK Re-Entry Retreat.
The $8,589 in scholarships were awarded to six college students and three international
education institutions for the purpose of providing financial support for women
students.

 

• Affirmed unanimously a statement on the formation
of Global Women. The statement stipulates that the newly-formed Global Women
group has no affiliation with Woman’s Missionary Union. Global Women was
formed recently to focus on worldwide witness and ministry by women. Organizers
said the group wants to complement the work of Woman’s Missionary Union
and the moderate/conservative Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

 

Lee issued a statement about the group in December – and Woman’s Missionary
Union leaders affirmed that response during their meeting last month.

 

“While many of our former leaders are involved in the new organization,
their participation is a personal decision and not one connected to national
WMU, …” the statement notes. “The current leadership of Woman’s
Missionary Union has not been involved in the planning nor the incorporation
of this agency. … While the formation of Global Women has generated questions
and concerns for many of our constituents, WMU’s commitment is to remain
true to our founding purpose. We will not become distracted from our calling
to share Christ with a lost and hurting world.” (BP)